Court Hands Ansaru Commander Usman 15-Year Jail Term for Terrorism Offences

ABUJA—The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday convicted a commander of the Ansaru terrorist sect, Mahmud Usman, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
Usman, also known by the aliases Abu Bara’a, Abbas, and Mukhtar, pleaded guilty to engaging in illegal mining and channeling the proceeds into acquiring arms for terrorism and kidnapping operations.
He was arraigned on a 32-count charge alongside his deputy, Abubakar Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda. While Usman admitted guilt on one of the counts, his co-defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the verdict, ordered that both men remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) until the remaining 31 counts are determined.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025, the Federal Government accused Usman, from Okene LGA of Kogi State, and Al-Nigeri, from Daura LGA of Katsina State, of aiding and abetting terrorist activities in Nigeria between 2013 and 2015.
According to the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, M.B. Abubakar, the two men allegedly served as top commanders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (JAMBS/Ansaru), a proscribed group linked to Al-Qaeda.
The defendants were also accused of receiving training in weapons handling, bomb-making, and guerrilla warfare from Jama’atu Nusratil Islami Wal Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist organisation based in Mali.
Additionally, they were implicated in the 2022 attack on Wawa Cantonment in New-Bussa, Niger State, an assault on a Nigerian Army facility that claimed several lives.